Meet the band: Black Eyed Betty

"Betty" isn't someone you want to tick off. "It's this chick who's sweet and demure; she looks nice but she's got a black eye," explained Amee BellWanzo, vocalist for Columbus hard-rock outfit Black Eyed Betty, whose band name stems from the grit of its fictitious mascot.

“Betty” isn’t someone you want to tick off.

“It’s this chick who’s sweet and demure; she looks nice but she’s got a black eye,” explained Amee BellWanzo, vocalist for Columbus hard-rock outfit Black Eyed Betty, whose band name stems from the grit of its fictitious mascot. “She just beat the crap out of somebody in the alley.

“She’s got a mean streak you might not be expecting. That’s kind of how the music is: hard-hitting, in-your-face.”

BellWanzo, 37, of Olde Towne East — herself a fighter of a different kind — spoke more about the group, which will perform on Friday to mark the release of its latest EP.

Q: How did the group form?

A: Two of my band members are twins; they’re total metal-heads. I was in a band with them previously, definitely a different one than this.

We wanted to have a harder rock band with a punk influence. There’s a lot more power behind the music. You kind of want to get a little bit meaner.

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Q: What do you write about?

A: Many of our songs are from (a) .?.?. personal experience where I had to get something off my chest, when I’m deeply, emotionally affected.

When there’s nothing unhappy in my life, I have to get more creative. It’s an exercise in creative writing.

One song is called Voyeur, written from the peeping tom’s perspective. There’s another, Something Awful, that’s really about a hookup situation — from a female perspective, not the stereotypical way, .?.?. almost like a stronger way to view it.

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Q: Who inspires you?

A: People ask where I learned to sing. Ella Fitzgerald and Robert Plant taught me.

I always look to really strong female rock stars: Debbie Harry, of course; Lzzy Hale (of Halestorm); and a band called Deap Vally. They’re a duo like the Black Keys; they rock really hard.

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Q: Could you describe your performance style?

A: We want to bring the energy. That’s our battle cry — even if it’s a crappy night.

On this particular EP, I kind of tried to be a little softer, maybe catchier — just sitting back a little and not necessarily recording as though it’s a live performance.

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Q: The group also performs at Race for the Cure and, last week, staged its annual Columbus Rocks the Cure fundraiser show. Why support this cause?

A: I’m a breast-cancer survivor — and six years cancer-free. The year I was diagnosed (2008) was when the band got together. Even before that, my other band had played at Race for the Cure. It’s such a positive experience.

With .?.?. (Columbus Rocks the Cure), we give money directly to local cancer warriors who are in the fight, either by purchasing gas cards and other financial support. We pay for wigs. Cancer is expensive. A lot of people are struggling.